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Great vegan nut cheeses you can get in the UK

Here are some words that I seem to leave as comments on US-based blogs all too often: 'I wish we had nut cheeses like that in the UK'.

Well, my tiny wish seems to have been granted (thank you, vegan guardians of the universe for making this happen).

First up, I recently got to try out some wares from Nutcrafter Creamery - a Scottish nut cheese maker that does both hard and soft cheese. Nice name, right? As they're based in Glasgow, and I'm very much not, I had to get them posted down to me. They arrived in these dinky little metal containers with the legend 'from tree to thee' written on them.

I ordered two types of cheese because, you know, one cheese is never enough. The first, the piquant with smoked chipotle, was covered in thyme leaves. So covered, that is, that I couldn't really taste the cheese within. I found myself thinking more about picking the tiny little leaves out of my teeth that contemplating the cashew goodness within. The main taste then, that the piquant left me with, was a little bit of disappointment about how good it could have been.

The second cheese, the Volcanic extra aged with black ash, however, pulled a total 180. It was everything I wanted from a nut cheese - sharp, tangy, flavoursome, rich.

It works in lots of different ways - mainly I use it for sandwich fillings and to top crackers, or just a slice or two on its own. It's also nice crumbled on top of pasta or baked dishes. It's not a cheap cheese, but because it's got so much flavour packed into every crumb, a little goes a long way in cooking.

Nutcrafter has a good few other cheesy products I'd like to try in good time: the Rebellious with garlic, the Scrumptions with sundried tomatoes, the extra aged Ancient, as well as nut-based equivalents of mozzarella, parmesan and cheese spread. I'm pretty excited to be work my way through them, as soon as I can see how many cases I can get the postie to carry.

While ordering in the Nutcrafter means a wait of a week or so, if you live in London, you can now go and pick up your own jars of cashew cheese off the shelves. Admittedly, you have to go into a branch of Planet Organic to do so, but if you can withstand the inevitable 'argh, I hate this place, the prices are high, and it's a bit on the woo side, but at the same time I love it because they have loads of interesting vegan stuff' mental argument you'll have with yourself, it's worth it, because now they stock Gozo vegan cheese spread.

There are four flavours: smoked paprika, french herb, chive, and basil pesto.

So far, I've been troughing my merry way through all but the pesto, and I'm totally in love with them all. They're not cheap either,: £4.25 a throw, they're not going to replace your tub of hummus in a hurry. That said, the way I think of it is that they cost about the same as the pint in London, and they last a lot, lot, longer (and they won't give you a hangover either.) And, for what it's worth, Planet Organic have a 20 percent deal on at the moment, so you can get your hands on a jar for £3.20.

These are my favourite vegan cheese in the world at the moment. As well as using them on my toast and crackers, I've also made pizza with my own cheese sauce and little nuggets of Gozo cheese as toppings, and it was heavenly. Mr Flicking the Vs requested that we eat it every night, which is high praise indeed.

My favourite is the smoked paprika, though the French herb is a close second - if you were a fan of Boursin and its ilk in your pregan days, then go get yourself some of this.

I'm so pleased that now there are three good vegan nut cheeses available in the UK and one that I can go pick up when I'm out in London. Now when I'm feeling flush I like get to get a load of cheese and crackers, and a nice glass of wine. With some good vegan cheese on your plate, the world looks a little better.

Are there any other UK vegan nut cheeses? Let me know - I'd love to try them out.

Mmm, lovely. I've tried the Nutcrafter mustard and ale and two of the Tynes before but not spotted Gozo anywhere. Thanks for the heads up! My favourite ones ever were the Midas Deli cheeses but I've just had a look on their website and not sure if they are trading at the moment, the products say, coming soon! They are actually based in Malta but ship worldwide. I managed to get some when V Revolution in Manchester had a load two Christmas's ago and I absolutely loved them, there was even a dessert cheese!

Just looked on their Facebook and it says they've had a break but start trading again from tomorrow!https://www.facebook.com/midasfineartcheesesAnother interesting one I've tried is from Jar Me Up on Etsy which is Sarah from Pomodoro y Basilico who I first heard about from you. Soya rather than nut based but we got some of her gorgonzola for New Year and liked it a lot.

The vegan cheese options seem to be expanding faster than you can say, 'cashew cheese,' don't they? I'm glad you were able to find some you like. One of these days, though, you have to try making your own — so many recipes available these days on the Internet.

I've never been driven to try vegan cheeses (on account of never liking regular cheeses) but I totally get the excitement of new vegan products and am glad you've found some nut cheeses that deliver for you!

Wow, I think a nut cheese revolution has happened since I left the UK! So many cheeses I haven't tried... I'm quite jealous, they all sound so good. I too have been jealous of the nut cheese availability in the States for a long time!

Those are words that I often leave on US and Aussie blogs too :(I lived in glasgow for nearly 10 years and there were hardly any vegan businesses about, since I left - in the last 5 years, things in the Scottish vegan world have evolved. Glasgow was said to be the best vegan city to eat a couple of years back, I was stunned. It has improved indeed. Anyway on Nut cheese, I was planning on making my own - but I may try to seek it out and only if I am feeling flush! As Johanna said and as you know, a little pricey - but artisanal things often are - hence they are a treat for us all.

I love learning about new brands, even if I probably won't have the fortune to ever taste these delights for myself. It's just inspiring to see what other creative vegans are up to across the pond. That Gozo cheese sounds especially awesome and makes me want to whip up a cashew pesto spread myself!

About me

Hi, I'm Joey. I'm vegan, and I'm chuffed about it. Seriously, it's cool right? If you're a vegan, you'll know what I mean. I've never learnt to cook so much tasty, experimental food since I went herbivore a few years back. I live in London, and I like that too.

I'm a journalist when I'm not writing here, and I don't mind that either. If I'm not cooking, then I'm reading vegan blogs, making stuff, down the pub, or studying. If I'm not doing that, I'm probably asleep.

If you'd like to get in touch, drop me a line at flickingthevs [at] yahoo co uk